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Hi folks,
Well, it has been quite a year as we all know, and I hope you are all doing ok and were able to enjoy the Thanksgiving weekend even if it is quite different from past years.
As I reflect on what I am thankful for, my gratitude goes to all the front -line workers, from hospital staff tirelessly putting their lives on the line to care for patients with Covid, to people working with the homeless, seniors and other vulnerable sectors of the community. There is still a lot of caring and compassion in this country.
I am also so grateful for the number of volunteers who worked to get out the vote, and for folks who cast their votes this year in overwhelming numbers to rid us of the Mango Mussolini. At least we can all feel a little calmer and more hopeful that 2021 will have a saner and more progressive administration; we just need to win Georgia! I will be frantically writing postcards and phone banking to do my part.
Plus, I am grateful to my Windermere Mount Baker office for a commitment to helping us to explore, educate and hopefully attempt to start to address the systemic racism in our industry and society. Our fabulous managing broker hired a company to do some Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training with the 40 + agents in our office and support staff.
I certainly learned a lot about how I see through a white-supremacist lens and how I have benefited from that. It is a just start, but like most of us, I have a long way to go in terms of understanding my own internalized beliefs, so I am reading a lot and observing my thinking and will continue to do more training in anti-racism work. Our company is also looking at ways to help with down payment assistance for minority groups.
In addition, the National Association of Realtors recently issued a public statement apologizing for its role in racial discrimination in housing.
“It was the first time the association, with 1.4 million members, has apologized for its role in fomenting housing discrimination, a legacy that has contributed to widening economic and racial inequality. The homeownership rate among Black Americans was 46% as of Sept. 30, compared with 67% for all U.S. households and 76% for white Americans, Census Bureau data show.”
Our local housing market continues to be strong with inventory in our area for single family homes trending between 1-1.7 % months of inventory. Three to six months is a balanced market so it’s still tough for buyers out there; a recent listing near my office had 21 offers!
That said, I was able to get some buyers who I have worked with for two years find their perfect house! They were an extended family with very specific needs, who had lost out on a couple of houses already. It was, as usual, a multiple offer situation, but this time they won and by far it really was the best house for them.
In the next couple of weeks, I have a 1909 Duplex in Columbia City coming on the market, a 1940s Seward Park Bungalow and a Remodeled Squire Park Craftsman with a separate legal apartment. December will be a busy month so stay tuned…
Take care everyone, and as always feel free to contact me with any real estate needs or questions.
Take care,
Serena
serenaheslop.com
